Lubbock, Tech health officials recommend flu shots...

Lubbock, Tech health officials recommend flu shots

It's the sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy-headed, fever time of year again, and the Lubbock Health Department and the Texas Tech Student Wellness Center are reporting more cases of influenza in the last two to three weeks.

"Tis the season," said Tigi Ward, public health coordinator for the City of Lubbock.

She said reporting a case of the flu is not mandatory, but many physicians and hospitals do so in order to monitor the trends. Although activity has increased in the last two to three weeks, it is not out of the ordinary for this time of the year.

Ward said statewide, influenza is widespread, but there does not seem to be any signs of an epidemic in Lubbock.

Juli McCauley, the clinical department administrator for Student Health Services at Tech, said the Student Wellness Center received its first diagnosis of influenza during the week of Jan. 14. Since then, there have been 151 diagnoses of influenza.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, www.cdc.gov, flu season can begin as early as October and end as late as May. The CDC reported the best time to get vaccinated for influenza is October or November, but people can be vaccinated in December and later.

McCauley said the Student Wellness Center has administered 1,000 flu vaccines since fall 2007.

There currently are no influenza vaccines available at the Student Wellness Center as well as many pharmacies around town, but vaccines still are available at all United Supermarkets as well as the Walgreens stores located at 5206 Fourth St. and 6420 82nd St.

According to the CDC, the influenza vaccine is the best protection against influenza viruses. The influenza vaccine can reduce the chances of getting the virus by as much as 70 to 90 percent if scientists correctly predict which strains of influenza to vaccinate for.

Till Next Time,

Matt Ratcliffe
Becky Brawley, a public health coordinator at the Lubbock Health Department, said she recommends the flu shot for everyone 6 months old and older unless the person has an allergy to eggs or another type of reaction to a component in the vaccine.